Joint



Get. 26 1926.

1 F W. CUTLER JOINT Filed A ril 13 Patented Get. 26, 1926.

usurp stares a rer FRANK W. CUTLER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO CUTLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A PARTNERSHIP.

J OINT.

Application filed April 13, 1925. Serial No. 22,900. I

lily invention relates to joints in general, and particularly to such joints as are used for joining sections of portable track such as conveyor tracks used in warehouses and the like. The object of my invention is to provide a joint for coupling in curved portions of such tracks that shall be the same upon each end of the curved portions and symmetrical about the central line of the track so that it may couple thecurved portion to extend either to the right or the left desired. I accomplish this object by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a part of this application for Letters Patent, like characters of reference indicating like parts throughout the several views thereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of such a track with straight portions only coupled together.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the subject matter of Fig. 1, with portions broken away.

Fig. 3 is a section upon line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of curved and straight portions of track coupled together.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the joint device upon the curved track portions, to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the joint device upon one end of the straight track portions.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the joint device upon the opposite end of the straight track portions.

Fig. 8 is a section upon line 8-8 of Figs. 5 and 6, showing the oint devices of said figures coupled together.

Fig. 9 is a similar s ctional view showing the joint device of Fig. 7 coupled with the joint device of Fig. 5.

in general my device consists of flat bars lying beneath the tracks and joining the tracks together, tongues projecting from said bars, and lugs upon said bars to engage with suitable orifices upon said tongues, said tongues and hugs being arranged in coacting pairs symmetrically disposed as regards the rentral line of the track sections, and a looking device upon the curved track portions.

My device is applicable to various forms of portable track, and that illustrated is the simplest form of two bar tracks 10 connected at each end of the section by bars 11. Upon the bars 11 at one end of each straight track section are secured tongues 12 having orifices 13 therein Upon the bars 11 at the opposite end of each straight track section are secured lugs 14 and 15, the lugs 14 coac'ting with the orifices 13 in the tongues 12 to hold adjacent sections of straight tracks together.

The ends of the curved track sections are also joined by bars 16 lying beneath the curved tracks 17, and having tongues 18 projecting therefrom, said tongues 18 being provided with orifices 19. Also the bars 16 are provided with downward projecting lugs 20, as shown in Fig. 5. \Vhen sections of straight track are coupled together the lugs 1% enter the orifices 13 in the tongues 12 of the adjacent section as shown in Fig. l.

When a curved track section is to be coupled to that end of a straight section having the tongues 12 thereupon the lugs 20 upon the curved section enter the orifices 13 in the tongues 12, as shown at the right hand end of Fig. 2, and in Fig. 8. The Figs. 5 and 6 show the curved track section and the straight track section respectively in rela tive position to be thus coupled. When the curved track section is to be coupled with that end of a straight track section having the lugs 14: and 15 thereon the lugs 15 enter the orifices 19 in the tongues 18 of the curved section as shown at the righthand end of Fig. 2, and in Fig. 9. Since the lugs 15 and 20, and the tongues 18 are symmetrically disposed upon the central line of the track sections it follows that the curved portions may be coupled at either end of a straight section and to lead off to either the right or left therefrom, as shown in Fig. l.

To prevent the curved track sections from tipping as the loads pass thereover I provide a tongue 21 pivotally connected to the bar 16 between the tongues 18, which tongue 21 is adapted to be swung to a position beneath the adjacent bar 11 of the straight track portion, and to lie beneath said bar 16 while the tongues 18, he above the bar 16, thus clamping said bar 16 therebetween and locking the curved portion of the tracks in position.

My device may be made of any size, and constructed of any materials deemed convenient and suitable for a device of this character, and while I have illustrated and described a form of construction and arrangement of parts found desirable in materializing my invention, I wish to include in this application all mechanical equivalents and substitutes that may fairly be considered to come within the scope and purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having disclosed my invention so that others may be enabled to construct and to use the same what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pair of parallel straight tracks; bars connecting said tracks at the ends thereof; orificed tongues projecting from one of said bars; lugs upon the opposite of said bars adapted to engage the orifices in the tongues of an adj acenttrack section; a pair of'curved parallel tracks; bars connecting the ends of said curved tracks; orificed tongues projecting from said latter bars adapted to engage said lugs upon an adjacent section of straight track; and lugs upon the connecting'bars of the curved track section adapted to engage the orifices in the tongues of an adjacent track section. i I

I 2. A pair of parallel curved tracks; bars connecting the ends of said tracks transversely thereof; orificed tongues projecting from said bars adapted to receive lugs upon adjacent tracks; and lugs upon said bars adapted to receive orificed tongues upon adjacent tracks. l j

3. A section of curved track; a section of straight track; bars transversely disposed across the ends of said track sections; orificed tongues secured to the upper surface of the bars across the section of straight track; lugs depending from the bar across the section of curved tracks, and adapted to coact with said orificed tongues; a tongue pivoted to thebar across the section of curved track, and adapted to enga e the bar across the section of straight trac lr beneath said bar; and tongues projecting from the bar across the section of curved track to engage the upper surface of the bar across the section of straight track.

4. A section of curved track; a section of straight track; bars transversely disposed across the ends of said track sections; orificed tongues projecting from the bar across the section of curved track; lugs arising from the bar across the section of straight track, and adapted to engage said orificed tongues; and atongue pivoted to the bar across the section of curved track, and adapted to engage the bar across the section of straight track beneath the same.-

5. A- section of straight track; a section of curved track; end bars transversely disposed upon each track section; coacting lugs and orificed tongues upon said bars to secure adjacent track sections together, said lugs and tongues being disposed so that the section of curved track may be coupled to a section of straight track to lead in any desired direction; and means for locking joined sections together.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my own I hereuntoaflix my signature at Portland county of Multnornah, State of Oregon this 25th day of Nov. 1924.

' FRANK l/V. CUTLER. 

